Boris Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I suspect the answer to the second question is no, but anyway. I've been plodding on with a couple of projects now for about 2 years, one of which goes together really nicely, but I've run out of money for the motor at the moment and it's shelved. The other one is something that I've had for at least 4 years on the go, and it's a kit for a UK outline diesel loco, I'm finding it massively frustrating as there are effectively no instructions, many parts are a poor fit and there seems to be a few basic measurement errors in the kit. For example part A, outside diameter 46mm, supposed to butt up to part B which also allegedly has an outside diameter of 46mm, but in reality has one of 56mm, and or course it's not as simple as trimming the excess off, as certain bits all have to line up. I'm at the point where I just want to get it finished, get a semi-decent paint job on it and try and flog it to put the money towards something I will actually enjoy. Is it just me, or does anyone else ever get this way? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 What make of kit is it? We need names! Yes, I have several projects stopped at various stages. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2012 It's perfectly normal to get stuck on tasks that you are not finding enjoyable or fulfilling. Happens at work as well as hobbies. The difference is with hobbies they are supposed to be enjoyable and nobody is paying you to do the task. Anyhow, there might be some workplace thinking that will help you. If I am faced with a task which is making me struggle and taking more effort than I expected i consider the following 1 Is the task important to my overall objectives (in your case, do you need the finished loco for your layout?) 2 Is the effort and cost worth the outcome (can you get an RTR model at reasonable cost and redirect your man hours to something more productive, offsetting some cost by selling the part made kit) If the answer to 1 and 2 is yes, you need to crack on with the task. When I'm stuck I find the best bet is to take a small simple element of the task that I can do, and get on with that. This gives me a bit of momentum, that will carry through to the more challenging aspects of the task. So in your case the bits that dont match seem to be your stumbling block. Set aside a session for the build, but dont start by tackling that assembly, pick another sub assembly that looks like it will go together ok and do that. Once you have done that and it's OK you have a bit of momentum to tackle the difficult bit. Of course if what you think is an easy bit turns out to be another tough bit, you're bu^^red!!! At that point best just go to the pub ) The other element that Ed has hinted at - use this excellent forum to find out if anybody else has struggled with the same problem on the same kit and come up with a solution. Good luck and dont let the b^^^^rds grind you down! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 What make of kit is it? We need names! Yes, I have several projects stopped at various stages. Ed Indeed! We want names! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cram Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I had a similar problem with a cattle wagon kit where the whitmetal overlay was approx 5mm too short all round and didn't match the etch body. I took it back and got a refund as it wasn't of merchantable quality. You shoukld do the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GC Jack Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Sounds like MTK to me! Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 You're certainly not along in that respect Boris - I have a Fred Phipps Gauge 1 Class 22 kit which I bought back in '98 and I've still not bought a motor or wheel sets for it yet. The body is more or less finished (painted, weathered and partially glazed) but I doubt I'll ever finish the whole kit. Every few months my other half says I should sell it and let someone else sort it out, but I can't bring myself to let it go.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I have a Genesis class 74 kit somewhere. To be honest, I don't care where its gone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I had exactly the same problem a few years ago with a 3mm scale loco with badly fitting and missing parts. I got fed up with it and left it half finished for about a year, then suddenly decided it had to be done, so I sourced the missing parts, filed and fettled, got it made somehow and gave it an all-black paint job - couldn't even be bothered with primer. I didn't feel a sense of achievement, just relief. After all that, it ran really well, and the paint is still on. It's the J39 in my Ecclesford write-up below. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 You're not alone Boris... My A1 Models 'Class 05' is in that catagory, designed by 'professional kit designer' Rod Neep. I reckon he drew the artwork for the etches blindfolded for a bet then didn't bother to do a test build. For example, how else could you explain that the etched holes for the buffers to locate in are at different heights? Its had a coat of paint now, every so often I do a bit more to it, mainly because I paid good money for it and I hate waste. Runs nicely though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GC Jack Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Boris, I think all kit builders are in the same boat. I am very guilty of this. I have several kits "maturing" in their boxes and several others that have hit a snag of some kind that are awaiting my attention to sort it. Its quite difficult to focus on projects that have problems as it can become more like a proper day job to sort it and trial and - in my case often error - only compounds the frustration. You can feel a real sense of achievement when you complete a kit, in spite of the manfucturers best attempts to prevent you from doing so, but sometimes it is better to pass it on - plenty of these on Ebay! Your choice really but your are definitley not alone! Cheers, Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I can't really tell if you're normal - but certainly you aren't alone in finding some projects "why am I bothering". There's certain things I like doing, such as scenery and electrical stuff, but other things like ballasting and kitbuilding that I loathe. Unfortunately all of these things (and many others) are often component parts of a larger project, and particularly when you're doing a complete layout you'll often find things that just don't go together properly, don't look like they did on paper, or just plain don't look right even though the theory is perfect. Sometimes I'll just ignore that part for a while and get on with something else and come abck to it later - sometimes a break is all that's needed. I've got to build a factory unit 4ft long for my O gauge project and I have no idea where to begin with it - everything else I can do no problem but I know it's going to be a real struggle when I get to it. Doesn't stop me working on the rest of the layout though. Stick with it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2012 I was sorting through boxes in the loft yesterday and came across some coach and wagon kits I'm never going to build, of dubious quality by long forgotten manufacturers. I must have bought them in the 70s and never got round to them. They are now in the bin. Perhaps now I'll get on with the other kits ( there seem to be a lot of them) that I actually want to build. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Why not rescue them from the bin and put them in Free to a Good Home on here? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2012 Why not rescue them from the bin and put them in Free to a Good Home on here? Ed If: 1. They bore some resemblance to the prototype 2 Were buildable 3 Were complete (some seem to have been robbed over the years to provide parts for other things) I would. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim V Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 A good kit is like a good book, you can't put it down till it's finished. Then something goes wrong. A bad kit is like a bad book - just give up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 The worst books are the ones that are not bad enough to just give up and put them down, nor good enough to keep you interested. I have been on one of these for ages now. Bit like some kits really. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyfox Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 From Boris's thread in the 'Kit-Building and Scratch-building' section the 'waiting for a motor' kit is an MMP 08 and 'tother (on the same thread) is a PRMRP BR class 20. I'm upto date on the thread but can't get a link - apologies, and to Boris for stepping in... I have just got the MMP 08 to the final bit of underframe pipework, transfer and weathering... ...it still doesn't run as well as I wanted it too, I've bodged (by my standards) the wasp stripes. The whole thing was a very enjoyable project but there were certainly times when I could have thrown the whole thing in bin! I spent at least 20-30 hours a week throughout May just on the chassis/wheels and rods... ...and I must have re-attached one set of brake blocks 6 times! I would follow the advice about getting on with another part or project in paralell to give you a diversion when you need it. I ended up building a Slater's 12t van at the same time just for this reason... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 25, 2012 I should think almost anyone who tried to build a Proscale V2 felt like giving up at some point! My personal "bete noir" has to be a MTK Western, bought in the days when the only rtr class 52 in 00 was the undersized and very expensive Trix offering. I had to give up after a wasted evening turning the air blue - nothing fitted and most of the bits were either misshapen or simply the wrong size; it was all very disheartening and made me question my ability as a modeller, even if it was obvious that the kit itself was a real pile of cack. To get over it, I got on with some buildings and scenic details, a branch of the hobby I've always found most satisfying. Luckily for me, the shop owner took pity on me and took it back - he had a big heap of MTK "returns" and didn't intend stocking them any more! Boris, could I suggest you perhaps have a go at something completely different for a while - you may then return to the first project revitalised and with fresh ideas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointstaken Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 ...or chalk it up to experience and put it in the spares box for future cannibalising ! Dennis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Yeah, quite often, this thread has brought back memories of a Qkits 56 and a Magna Models J10 and D11. I really hope I don't have nightmares tonight Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I have a SSC Stylus sports car kit in the garage. Its been there since my son skived off sports day in year 10 (15+) to go to collect the chassis with me, he's now 24. There is a whole litany of issues which need to be resolved and it has cost about £4k so far. Count your blessings that your stillborn can be more easily hidden. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted August 26, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2012 I have a SSC Stylus sports car kit in the garage. Its been there since my son skived off sports day in year 10 (15+) to go to collect the chassis with me, he's now 24. There is a whole litany of issues which need to be resolved and it has cost about £4k so far. Count your blessings that your stillborn can be more easily hidden. Just be grateful MTK never produced kit cars, it doesn't bear thinking about! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardybloke Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 You're certainly not the only one - I've got a couple of Backwoods 009 kits that have been languishing in the boxes for 3 and 4 years on and off now. The kits are generally very good, but it's assumed that everyone who wishes to assemble one has the skills of a watchmaker! Having said that, I'm reliably informed that the rods on one are both slightly different lengths, neither of which matches the axle spacing, so it might not be solely my ability. I've done what many others seem to have done - get on with something simpler (in my case using RTR chassis) with the full intention of returning and doing a full rebuild on the chassis at a later date, once I can get the parts made up. There's a lot to be said for having more than one project on the go, though it does drive my other half mad... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The worst books are the ones that are not bad enough to just give up and put them down, nor good enough to keep you interested. I have been on one of these for ages now. Bit like some kits really. Ed I thought only women were reading fifty shades. I read the Kindle sample and it really is bad apalllingly bad writing. Ideal I suppose for a masochist lover of the English language ;-) I think the answer to Boris's second question is that you'd be abnormal if you didn't experience this from time to time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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